


High Tide

by aretia



Series: Halcyon Harbor [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 10:08:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12702711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aretia/pseuds/aretia
Summary: Even a kiss can be dangerous for a mer-Galra and his fluffy boyfriend who can't swim.





	1. High Water

**Author's Note:**

> may contain scientific inaccuracies, I don't care

Haxus curled his fingers over the edge of the pier. His tail pulsed languidly, keeping him at the surface while his mate Sendak crouched on top of the pier. Sendak had caught Haxus’s eye one day when he was working at the port while Haxus was sunbathing on the rocks near the shore. It had been hard to get his attention, since Sendak couldn’t swim, but once Sendak had gotten the message that the mer-Galra was interested in him, they easily slid into a routine of meeting at the pier. 

Haxus cherished every one of these fleeting moments. Sendak, framed by the pink and purple clouds over the mountains, his lavender fur highlighted gold by the rays of the setting sun, was a beautiful sight. 

Sendak’s fingers brushed over Haxus’s, one hand metal and one flesh, and a shiver went through Haxus from his head to the tip of his tail. “I have to go,” Sendak said softly, apologetically.

“Wait,” Haxus said. He rarely ever got to touch Sendak, and he wanted more. He gave his tail a thrash and jumped up to throw his arms around Sendak’s shoulders and press his lips against Sendak’s. Sendak was startled for a moment, frozen with surprise, and then he melted into the kiss. He took his hands off the edge of the pier to wrap his arms around Haxus. He leaned forward—and fell on top of Haxus into the water. 

An electric shock flashed through the water from Sendak’s arm, giving Haxus a painful zap. Haxus flailed as Sendak’s weight sank them both to the bottom of the harbor. He managed to get enough traction to hook his arms under Sendak’s shoulders, and swim back up to the surface. Sendak’s head broke the surface of the water and he gasped for breath, coughing up water, and then slumped against Haxus. 

The first thing Haxus had to do was get him out of the water, and that wasn’t going to be easy without his help. If Sendak was heavy underwater, he was a dead weight above it. Haxus put his arms around Sendak’s waist and tried to push him back onto the pier, but once most of Sendak’s body was above the surface, he fell over and crashed back into the water. “No!” Haxus screamed, grabbing him and pulling his face above the water again. Still breathing. 

Haxus held onto Sendak’s flesh hand while he used his tail to throw himself onto the pier, and dragged Sendak up by the arm. Never before had he been so aware of how weak he was; living underwater didn’t demand much strength. Every muscle in his body ached. He was not built for lifting a man three times his size above the water, especially when his wet fur only added to the weight. 

Haxus managed to get his hands under Sendak’s shoulders, then dragged him up by the waist, and finally managed to lug enough of his body onto the pier that he wouldn’t slide back in. Haxus fell back against the pier, gasping for breath, panicking when he realized he wasn’t getting any oxygen. He calmed himself and closed his mouth. As long as his skin was damp, he would be able to breathe. But that wouldn’t last long now that he was completely above the water. 

“Sendak?” he called, shaking Sendak’s shoulders. It seemed that while Sendak had stayed awake long enough not to drown, he had now passed out.

Haxus flipped Sendak over. His breathing was shallow, and his clothes and fur were soaked. That was the reason Sendak couldn’t swim, aside from the fact that it shorted out his prosthetic robot arm and electrocuted him. His fur was adapted for the cold climate, and it was so fluffy and dense that if it got wet, it was almost impossible to dry. The fur would absorb the water and hold it against his skin, and that was the opposite of what he needed when the sun was going down and there was already a frigid breeze in the air. 

And there was nothing Haxus could do about it. Everything was wet, the pier, the ocean, Sendak, Haxus. He could try to drag him to somewhere dry, but that would either result in his muscles giving out or suffocation or both. He tucked himself under Sendak’s arm. The best he could do was try to keep him warm until someone came to help them. Haxus cried into Sendak’s damp fur. “Sendak, I’m so sorry,” he wailed. Giving in to one impulse may have just killed Sendak. He recalled the sweetness of the brief kiss. It wasn’t worth it. 

He heard the sound of footsteps on the pier. His ears twitched, and he sat up. A dark silhouette was walking down the boardwalk towards them. Someone had heard his keening and come to investigate. 

“Help!” Haxus screamed. The air stung his throat, and his voice didn’t travel as well in air as in the water, but the figure heard it and dashed toward them. 

He came close enough that Haxus could see him, his eyes sensitive even in the low light. The man had long white hair and purple skin. “What happened?” he asked.

“I accidentally pulled him into the water,” Haxus sobbed. 

“I can see that,” the man commented, looking over Sendak’s dripping wet body, and then Haxus’s. His eyes widened as he looked over Haxus's tail. “Oh my stars, you’re a—”

“Yes,” Haxus cut him off. He had no patience for the land-walkers’ reactions to him. Mer-Galra were common enough. They didn’t all have to act like it was the first time they’d ever seen one. Especially not when Sendak’s life was in jeopardy. “Which means I can’t get him dry on my own, and he’s going to freeze to death if I don’t. Will you help me?”

“Of course,” he said. He reached into his large tote bag and pulled out a rolled-up towel, and a small electronic device. 

“What’s that?” Haxus asked.

“It’s a portable hair dryer. I always carry one in my bag in case the sea mist gets my hair wet and it gets messy. But it should be able to help your friend.” He handed the device to Haxus and pressed a button, and it started blowing hot air. He directed the plume of air at Sendak, starting with his chest. 

The other man spread the towel out on the pier. “Put him on top of here, so his back gets dry faster.” He helped Haxus drag Sendak’s body on top of the towel. Then, he pulled a second one of the devices out of his bag. 

“You have another one?” Haxus asked.

“Of course. Have to have a backup in case one of them runs out of battery.” He began running the dryer over the other side of Sendak’s chest. “So, what’s your name? I’m Lotor.” 

“Haxus,” Haxus said. “And this is Sendak.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lotor said. “How did you say he fell in?”

Haxus looked away and his ears flicked back with irritation. “It’s embarrassing,” Haxus admitted. “I… I kissed him, and I accidentally pulled him into the water.” 

“Oh, you two are an item?” Lotor asked.

Haxus bristled. He didn’t know why that was surprising. “Yes. He’s my mate. But I’ve barely gotten to touch him before, and I was so tempted, and I made a huge mistake…” Why was he telling a stranger so much about his personal life? He supposed it was the desperation making him an emotional wreck. Sendak’s fur didn’t seem to be getting any dryer, and Haxus was getting woozy from being out of the water for so long. He would have to dip back in soon, which would hinder their efforts to dry off Sendak. 

Haxus lay down next to Sendak again. He barely had the strength to hold up his arm and run the dryer over him. The soreness from lifting Sendak earlier mixed together with the exhaustion from not having enough water to breathe. “Haxus? Are you alright?” Lotor said, but his voice sounded far away like an echo. 

Haxus snapped back to attention when Sendak groaned, and turned his head to look at Haxus. His one biological eye fluttered open. “Haxus? What are you doing up here?” he murmured.

“Sendak!” Haxus cried. He butted his forehead against Sendak’s and nuzzled his cheeks. His fur felt soft and warm and finally dry. The dryness prickled Haxus’s chapped skin, and he pulled away. He closed his eyes.

“Haxus?” Sendak said. Haxus didn’t have the energy to speak. Sendak sat up and pulled Haxus into his lap. As much as Haxus would have loved to die in Sendak’s arms, Sendak did what he had to do, and threw Haxus back into the water. 

When Haxus came to and swam to the surface, he saw that Sendak was all dried off, wrapped in Lotor’s towel. Lotor was putting the finishing touches on Sendak’s fluffy ears while Sendak smiled, comfortable and warm. In the blue moonlight glow, he looked breathtaking.

Sendak noticed Haxus’s head poking out of the water. He kneeled down on the edge of the pier. “Thank you for saving me,” he said.

“It’s my fault you almost drowned and froze to death in the first place,” Haxus sulked.

“No, it’s not,” Sendak insisted. “I was glad you did it. It was worth it.” He scratched the back of his head with his real arm, the prosthetic hanging limp at his side. “I should probably go home and sit under the heater. But I’ll see you again soon.” Sendak extended his hand. 

“Be careful not to pull him in again,” Lotor teased. 

Haxus snorted. He cradled Sendak’s hand lightly in his own, and kissed the back of it. “See you,” Haxus said. Sendak pulled his hand back, and pressed it to his cheek, smiling. Haxus thought his heart might stop for the second or third time that day.

“Come on, let’s go,” Lotor said, helping Sendak to his feet. 

“Thank you, Lotor!” Haxus called out. 

“Not a problem,” Lotor replied. Sendak gave a wave goodbye, and they turned around and headed down the pier.

Haxus kept waving even after they had disappeared into the night. Then, he drifted down to his nest at the bottom of the harbor and let exhaustion claim him. He dreamed of having Sendak to hold in his arms again all night.


	2. Dive In

Haxus hadn’t seen Sendak in two weeks. He usually came every day, or if he missed a day, he would show up the next day with a profuse apology and some fish from his work. For him to disappear for so long could only mean one thing: he was scared of Haxus. He was scared of the temptation and of falling in the water again—if Lotor hadn’t shown up at just the right time, they both could have died. Or the worse option—Haxus had scared him off with that impulsive kiss, and Sendak had realized that his feelings for him didn’t really go that deep. He had been affectionate enough when they parted, but Haxus couldn’t stop second guessing himself.

One sunny afternoon, he was lying on his favorite rock and weeping when he saw someone walking down the pier. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was Sendak, wearing— _oh_ —an incredibly tight black bodysuit. Haxus dove into the water and popped up in front of the pier. 

Sendak promptly sat down on the edge of the pier and dipped his legs in the water. He never did that. “Haxus! It’s good to see you!” he said.

“Sendak!” Even though Haxus had just been chastising himself for being too clingy, he couldn’t help himself. He hugged Sendak’s legs and nuzzled him. “Where have you been? I missed you!”

“It’s a long story,” Sendak said. “When Lotor was giving me a ride home, he told me what you said, about how we don’t really get to touch each other, and, well, I feel the same. So Lotor gave me some tips,” he said.

Sendak gestured to his black suit. “I bought this drysuit. It’s miserable to put on. And take off. And pretty much every moment I’m in it. But it keeps my fur and my arm from getting wet!”

“What about your face?” Haxus asked.

“I just have to try to keep it above water. But if it gets wet, it’s not a big deal, the suit is sealed at the collar,” Sendak said. “So then it was just a matter of putting this thing on every day and learning how to swim. In a pool, of course. Which is why I haven’t been here lately. After swim lessons I didn’t really want to be around water. But it’s paid off! I learned how to tread water and yupper paddle, so I feel safe getting in the water with you.”

“You went through all of that for me?” Haxus murmured.

“Of course,” Sendak replied.

“Well then, let’s try it," Haxus said, grinning. He reached out his hands to Sendak. Sendak pushed himself off the edge of the pier into the water, and Haxus caught him. It was much easier to support him when he was conscious and willingly in the water. He was treading water on his own, but Haxus still held him close, protective. He pressed his face into Sendak’s shoulder. It was the first time he’d ever shared a full-body hug with Sendak, and it was heavenly. 

He could hear Sendak’s heart beating fast from the exertion and probably no small amount of fear. “Let’s go sit on that rock, I don’t want you to get too tired,” Haxus said. He swam in between Sendak’s legs and came up underneath him, carrying him on his back. Most of Sendak’s body was underwater, so it wasn’t too much effort to carry him and keep his head above the surface. 

When they reached the rock, Sendak climbed onto it first, sitting on a ledge with his lap in the water. Then, Haxus emerged from the water and crawled on top of him. He sat in Sendak’s lap and laid his head on his chest. Sendak wrapped his arms around him and nuzzled his chin on top of Haxus’s head. A rumbling sound emanated from Sendak’s chest. He was purring. It was a sound that mer-Galra pups made when they were happy, but land Galra were able to do it as adults, apparently. 

Lying in the warm sun, on top of Sendak’s chest, Haxus was as happy as he’d ever been. He trilled in his throat, his way of returning the purr. 

Sendak’s fingers came under Haxus’s chin and tilted his face up to look at him. “What?” Haxus said.

“That noise was adorable,” Sendak said. Then, without hesitation, he kissed Haxus. It was more confident than the last one, and slower, lingering for several moments. When Sendak pulled away, his eye was lidded and he let out a contented sigh. “My Haxus,” he whispered. “You are so worth it. I would do anything for you. I love you.”

Haxus chirped in surprise. He’d never said that before. Maybe they had Lotor to thank for more than just saving Sendak’s life; maybe he’d talked some confidence into him. Haxus didn’t even have to think about it. “I love you too.”

Haxus settled back against Sendak’s collarbone, and gave him a small affectionate nip behind his jaw. Sendak would have to return to the shore eventually. Their time together was still fleeting. But now it was much less fraught with danger. They could bask in each other’s warmth for as long as the sun was shining.


End file.
